There are several reasons a web page, or something you get to on a web page, can seem to "break" with AdBlock on and look or work fine with AdBlock off. It's almost never because of AdBlock itself. Here are the things we look for.


Is the site telling you to disable AdBlock?

Please try these suggestions.


Are only images missing?

This is most likely fallout from an all-out war between one particularly nasty advertising network and the folks who maintain EasyList. We have more information and a workaround that should help.


If that workaround doesn't help, then something else is wrong. Skip to "The problem is something else," below.


Are you using Safari content blocking?

If you're using Safari on either the desktop or a mobile device, we have some suggestions.


The problem is something else

Please try this first:

  1. Click the AdBlock button in the browser toolbar and select Pause on this site or Pause AdBlock, depending on which version of AdBlock you have.
  2. Reload the page that's not working.


Does the page work now?

No: The problem isn't related to AdBlock. Please skip to "Check for a bad extension," below.

Yes: Please continue to the next suggestion.


Did you try to block something manually?

You might have accidentally blocked something the web page needs to work properly. Here's how to fix it.


Is a social media account login option missing?

If the option to log in to a website using a social media account is missing, check to see whether you have subscribed to the Fanboy's Annoyances or Antisocial filter list.


Check for a bad custom filter or filter list

AdBlock uses filter lists and custom filters you create to know how to block and hide ads. One of them may be blocking something it shouldn't.


We don't maintain the filter lists or provide support for custom filters you may be using. If a filter list is at fault, the instructions below will help you identify it and report it to the right people to have it fixed. If the culprit is a custom filter, these instructions will help you isolate it so that you can fix or remove it.


Perform the following steps in order. Only continue to the next step if the problem isn't fixed.


Part 1: Update your filter lists

If the page that isn't working now worked fine before, then it's very likely that a recent update to a filter list you're subscribed to introduced a bad filter. The list authors may have already fixed it and you just haven't received the latest update yet.

  1. Click the AdBlock button and select Options.
  2. On the FILTER LISTS tab, click update now
  3. Reload the page where you're seeing the problem.


Is the problem gone? Great! The problem was caused by a bad filter in a recent filter list update. The list authors released another update that fixed the problem and now you have it. You're all done.


Part 2: Check for a bad custom filter

If the box on the CUSTOMIZE tab under "Manually edit your filters" is empty, skip to Part 3.

  1. On the CUSTOMIZE tab in AdBlock's options, next to "Manually edit your filters," click Edit.
  2. Copy everything in the custom filters box into a text file for safekeeping.
  3. Delete everything in the box and click Save.
  4. Reload the page where you're seeing the problem.


Is the problem gone? Great! One of your custom filters is the culprit. Put them back one at a time, reloading the problem page after each one. When the page breaks again, the custom filter you added last is the bad one. Delete or fix it. You're all done.


Note: If you have a lot of custom filters, put half of them back and reload the problem page. If the page breaks, delete half of them and test the page again. Repeat until you isolate the bad filter. If the page doesn't break using the first half of the set of custom filters you're testing, repeat the entire test with the next half.


Part 3: Check for a bad filter list

If you got this far, it means that manually updating your filter lists didn't fix the problem. That means the filter list authors aren't aware of it yet. You can be a good web citizen by determining which filter list is at fault and reporting the problem to the list authors.

  1. On the FILTER LISTS tab in AdBlock's options, note which filter lists you're subscribed to.
  2. Unsubscribe from all the filter lists.
  3. Reload the page where you’re seeing the problem.


Is the problem gone? Great! One of the filter lists is the culprit. Re-enable them one at a time. Wait for AdBlock to fetch the list, then reload the problem page. Keep doing this until the page breaks again. The filter list you enabled last is the bad one. Please report the problem to the list's authors.


Note: If the issue you ran into is that social media content or social media buttons are missing and disabling the Fanboy's Annoyances or Antisocial filter list fixes it, don't report it. It's not a problem. The filter list is doing exactly what it's supposed to do. Just pause AdBlock on that site.


If disabling all the filter lists did not fix the problem, please skip to "Check for a bad extension," below.


How to report problems to the filter list authors

Here are some tips when reporting a problem to the list authors:

  1. Search the list forum for the name of the site. If someone else has already reported the problem, you can stop here.
  2. Start a new topic. Name your topic for the site where the issue is occurring. If the site contains adult content, please include "NSFW" ("not safe for work") in the topic name!
  3. In your report, include your browser and version, which version of AdBlock you have, and what troubleshooting steps you tried.
  4. Provide a link to the page where the problem is happening.
  5. Provide a screenshot if you can. To include a screenshot in your post:
    1. Upload your screenshot to Imgur.com or a similar picture-sharing site.
    2. Get the "share" URL of the uploaded file.
    3. In the EasyList post, include this line: [img]share-url[/img]


Check for a bad extension

This is rare, but it can happen. If unchecking all the filter lists did not fix the problem, try the same thing with your browser extensions. Disable all of them, then re-enable the extensions one by one, reloading the problem page after each. Keep doing this until the page breaks again. The extension you enabled last is the bad one.


If you don't need the extension, remove it. Otherwise, report the problem to the extension developers. You can usually find their contact information in the extension settings or in your browser's extension store.


If all else fails

Reboot your computer. Seriously. This solves 95% of all known computer problems.


Didn't help? Uninstall and reinstall AdBlock. Be sure to copy any custom filters to a text file for safekeeping first. Note, our payment page opens every time AdBlock is installed. If you don't want to pay for AdBlock at this time, just close the page.


If none of the suggestions above has fixed the problem, it's time to suspect your browser.

  1. Clear your browser cache and cookies and restart your browser.
  2. If that didn't help, try your browser's recommended troubleshooting steps:


If you've tried all of these suggestions and you're still seeing the problem, please report it to us. Be sure to tell us what you have already tried. We'll do our best to help. Please be aware in advance that our best suggestions are already in this article. We may only be able to advise you to do some keyword searches in your favorite search engine. :)